Chemicals

Electronic version of this article was lost during the computer program. The following is the first two paragraphs followed by any other key information. For complete text see microfilm. Here are some helpful hints from the Hampton Clean City Commission for city residents who are looking for healthy household alternatives to using bleach, ammonia and other potentially harmful chemicals around the home. Instead of using mothballs to repel cloth-eating insects, use cedar blocks or store clothes and blankets in a cedar-lined chest.

By Diana McFarland, and dmcfarland@dailypress.com | September 19, 2014

The Merchant Marines ship MV Cape Ray and its crew earned two honors Friday for its mission to neutralize 600 tons of deadly Syrian chemical weapons. The crew received the Merchant Marine Medal for Outstanding Achievement and the Cape Ray earned the Maritime Administration's professional ship award after returning to Portsmouth on Wednesday after 233 days at sea. "This was a humanitarian mission," Cape Ray Capt. Rick Jordan said at Friday's ceremony, held at the General Dynamics, Earl Industries shipyard in Portsmouth.

Newport News will collect household chemicals Oct. 17 and Nov. 7. On Oct. 17, the collection site will be Todd Stadium, 12465 Warwick Blvd. On Nov. 7, it will be in the parking lot of the former Social Service Building, 2410 Wickham Ave. Collections will be from 9 a.m. until noon both days. The collections will stop for most of the winter, when few people would be expected to drop things off. They'll start again in March at a location in the northern part of the city and rotate monthly.

Virginia and Hampton Roads rank among the worst in the nation for toxic chemicals in waterways, according to a report released Thursday by Environment Virginia. The commonwealth is 5 t h worst for the amount of pollutants dumped into rivers and streams by industrial facilities, the report claims, while the lower James River is 9 t h worst among local watersheds for developmental toxins, such as arsenic and lead. The York River ranks 15 t h . "Too often, our waters have become a dumping ground for polluters," Sarah Bucci of Environment Virginia Research & Policy Center said in a release announcing its "Wasting Our Waterways" report.

The Food Lion in Mathews was evacuated shortly after noon Monday when an employee mixed the wrong cleaning chemicals. The mixture of chemicals sent pungent ammonia-like fumes into the store, said Volunteer Fire Chief Ricky Tomlinson. Tomlinson said no one required medical attention while rescue personnel were at the supermarket on Main Street. Sheriff's Capt. Ann Shockley said that the county's emergency dispatcher was called about the incident at 12:05 p.m. and that fire and rescue personnel remained on the scene for about 20 minutes.

Fort Eustis became one of the nation's most polluted places a few gallons at a time. Used motor oil. Old pesticides. For years, convenience dictated how and where hazardous chemicals like these were stored or dumped. When the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officially added Fort Eustis to the Superfund list last year, 34 potentially polluted areas had been identified. To ensure that number doesn't increase, Fort Eustis has begun treating hazardous chemicals with the kind of respect traditionally afforded guns and ammunition.

Test results expected next week should show the extent of contamination at a Harcum property. There is evidence of spilled chemicals at a Harcum property where drums and containers marked as potentially hazardous were discovered Monday, according to a state environmental official. The home's last owner prior to foreclosure, Robert B. Whiteman, could be charged in connection with the incident, but state environmental officials do not know where he and his family went. Whiteman could be cited for disposing of hazardous waste and violating the Clean Water Act, said Stephen Morris, an environmental specialist with the state Department of Environmental Quality.

State Police continued their investigation Tuesday into the dumping of chemicals, which has been linked to a company that abandoned 6,000 gallons of cyanide-laced waste downtown five years ago. Laboratory tests on the chemicals, which were dumped behind a row of businesses on Jefferson Avenue Monday, have not been completed, said Bob Jasinowski, of the state police in Chesapeake. Jasinowski said he does not know when the tests will be completed. Keith Spafford, regional hazardous materials officer with the Virginia Department of Emergency Services, said he alerted the state Department of Waste Management to the incident because the chemicals could be hazardous.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fined Allied Colloids Inc., a Suffolk chemical company, more than $2 million for failing to notify the EPA before bringing seven chemicals into the country that were not cleared for import. "We don't want to play Russian roulette with chemicals," said Joan Goodis, an EPA spokeswoman. "If new chemicals are brought into the country without EPA's review, the possibility exists that they are being improperly exposed to the environment and are causing harm."

Newport News residents can help the environment by cleaning up their garages. While they're at it, they can clean up their offices, too. During Saturday's Household Chemical Collection Program, residents can bring old household, automotive and lawn care chemicals to Todd Stadium for "environmentally sound" disposal. And, for the first time, old computer equipment will be welcome. City representatives warn residents that throwing these materials into the garbage or pouring chemicals down the drain could pose a potential hazard.

- For diplomats, convincing Syria to destroy its chemical weapons has been a tall order. But for environmental scientists doing the work, the process is relatively simple. And for the moment, the equipment can be found right here in Hampton Roads. The Pentagon has equipped the cargo ship Cape Ray with a high-tech hydrolysis system that will use water or bleach to neutralize chemicals that produce Syria's nerve gas and other deadly agents. A tour of the ship Thursday attracted media from around the world, a testament to the international effort brought to bear on the process.

HAMPTON - Hampton University senior Joshua Gopeesingh is one of about 200 finalists for the Rhodes Scholarship, the university announced. Gopeesingh, a chemical engineering major, is the only finalist to represent Historically Black Colleges and Universities, according to the school. Gopeesingh's interview is scheduled for next week in Barbados. Gopeesingh is a finalist for the Commonwealth Caribbean district. A class of 83 scholars from across the globe is selected each year. Rhodes Scholars are chosen for their academic achievements, potential leadership in their future careers, as well as commitment to others and to the common good, according to Rhodes' website.

If you're taking a chemical-free approach to home weed control, you've most likely discovered it can be a real challenge. Without herbicides in your arsenal, it can be tough to keep the invaders out of your lawn and natural areas, flower beds and vegetable gardens, walks and driveways. To succeed, you need time, persistence and a multifaceted approach. Try these nine proven techniques that can help: •Select clean seeds and plant material . When you are planting ornamentals, vegetables and grasses, purchase certified seeds and weed-free plants from a reputable source.

By Robert Brauchle, rbrauchle@dailypress.com | 757-247-2827 | March 29, 2012

HAMPTON — When David A. Magnant arrived at work at 6:30 a.m. on a recent Saturday, he was greeted by cars already lined up to dump their payloads. As the director of operations at the Virginia Peninsulas Public Service Authority, Magnant sees people's willingness to recycle as a positive sign for the environment. Hampton's Public Works operations complex on North Armistead Avenue is among four locations where the authority is holding events this year where residents can drop off electronic and chemicals so the items can be recycled.

By Robert Brauchle, rbrauchle@dailypress.com | 757-247-2827 | January 23, 2012

HAMPTON - Even though Fort Monroe is now largely devoid of active military personnel, what the soldiers and sailors of yesteryear left behind may be a burden for a new crop of residents the community's new owners hope to attract. Underground ordnance, artifacts and spilled chemicals are just a few of the challenges Fort Monroe Authority officials face as the historic post is transformed into a residential community, historic landmark and national park. Even after studies have been performed by the Army and independent consultants in recent years, authority officials admit surprises may surface as residents and tenants move onto Monroe.

What do prison inmates, criminal suspects, would-be rapists, wild bears, vicious dogs and schoolchildren have in common? They're all fair game to be pepper-sprayed. At least that's what the Norfolk school system seems to think. Three times in the last eight days, security guards armed with pepper spray unloaded the caustic chemical on children. Wednesday, it was an altercation at Grandby High School, on Monday a lunchtime fight between two students at James Blair Middle School, and last week a food fight between two students at Lafayette-Winona Middle School.

Arsenals of pesticides, some of them more than 20 years old, will go into an incinerator in May or June through a pesticide disposal program sponsored by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Isle of Wight is one of 22 counties chosen to participate this year, so outdated illegal and unwanted pesticides stored in sheds and locked boxes across the county will be a part of the more than 100,000 pounds of chemicals that will be eliminated free of charge to farmers and commercial users.

Just behind Tommy Powell's farmhouse early Tuesday, three people clad in white plastic jumpsuits and black rubber gloves packed 1,476 pounds of pesticides into metal drums. Powell, who grows corn, peanuts, soybeans and grain, stood nearby with his arms folded and a smile on his face. He was at last getting rid of outdated and banned pesticides stored in a farm shed, some for more than 22 years. The cleanup crew, working behind a yellow plastic tape to keep everyone else away from the pesticides, listed the name and weight of each chemical as it was placed in a barrel.

The cargo jet's interior looks like a pasteurization plant, but this plane doesn't carry milk. It's one of a handful the U.S. Air Force uses to drop chemicals - everything from oil dispersants to insect killers - from the sky. Tuesday's mission: Spread 195 gallons of a pesticide known as Dibrom Concentrate across 50,000 acres in and outside of Fort Eustis in Newport News. "We consider it a public service," Maj. Mark Breidenbaugh, an entomologist, said while standing on the runway atLangley Air Force Base.